When did Terry Winograd begin work on SHRDLU at MIT?
Terry Winograd began work on SHRDLU at MIT between 1968 and 1970. He wrote the program using Lisp and Micro Planner languages.
Questions about SHRDLU
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the origin of the name SHRDLU for the computer program?
Winograd chose the name SHRDLU from the top row of keys on a Linotype machine. This arrangement listed letters in order of their frequency in English text as E-T-A-O-I-N-S-H-R-D-L-U.
How many words were required to describe objects in the blocks world environment?
The entire set of objects and locations required only about fifty words to describe. Nouns included block and cone while verbs covered actions like place on or move to.
Did SHRDLU understand basic physics rules regarding object stability?
It realized triangles could not be stacked after attempting the action repeatedly. Basic physics made blocks fall over independent of the language parser itself.
Which game is broadly considered the first true work of interactive fiction compared to SHRDLU?
The 1976-1977 game Colossal Cave Adventure is broadly considered the first true work of interactive fiction. No distinct story-telling existed within the original SHRDLU system during its operation.